Philippians 2 v 5 – 11 This is one of the most sublime portions of Scripture in all of God’s Word. We live in a world in need of consolation. People need to be comforted.The consolation that we have in Christ is part of the foundation of the unity that produces joy that we looked…
Habakkuk 3 v 1 – 2 First prayer – Habakkuk’s lament about Judah’s unrighteousness and coldheartedness.Second prayer – Habakkuk’s lament because God used the Chaldeans to afflict Judah, taking them into captivity for seventy years (two generations).Third prayer – Habakkuk reveals through this prayer what the Lord has revealed to him. God told him in…
Philippians 2 v 1-4 Division is the greatest destroyer of joy (cf Mark 3:24-25). Paul is giving a whole series of exhortations with regards to how to live the Christian life, not only as individuals, but also together as the Lord’s people.We see the divisions among Evangelicals. People have lost count of how many groupings…
Habakkuk 2 v 5-20 Verse 4 is the bridge to the rest of the chapter, namely that man is puffed up. Chapter 2 is a hard chapter, in which He’s talking about the king of the Chaldeans, who drank wine all the time, and were proud people. There are only two kinds of people –…
Philippians 1 v 27-30 Up to this point Paul has been telling the Philippians about his own situation in prison and what he was experiencing. Despite all the affliction, his attitude was one of joy and confidence in the Lord. With verse 27 Paul begins a series of practical exhortations concerning the Christian life. He…
Habakkuk 2 v 1-4 Habakkuk responds in Piety (godliness) and Patience, not seeking to exert power and wrath. He was in deep pain because of what was happening – the Chaldeans sweeping across the land. When you have a pain like that, you must pray like Habakkuk, and once you’ve prayed respond correctly to the…
Philippians 1 v 19-26 The Apostle Paul was in a lock-down, but in spite of that he had a strong hope and confidence in God for the future.It looks for many of us that everything is falling apart, but if we look at this passage we learn a lot of wisdom. We will just focus…
Habakkuk 1-3 Overview:Written in the Old Testament period when only Judah was left alone.Habakkuk means ’embrace’ – to hold close.Luther said about him:“He speaks as one who took his nation to his heart, comforted and held them up as one embraces and presses to his bosom a poor, weeping child – calming and consoling it…
Philippians 1 v 12-18 The letter’s structure:Greeting, Thanksgiving, Prayer, the Body, Moral exhortations, Greeting, Benediction. A missionary Support Letter from God’s Apostle to the Gentiles.Some wonderful lines of praise to God – especially in the second chapter.The letter ties in wonderfully with Habakkuk we are considering in the mornings. We see Paul’s joy despite circumstances.Adversity…
Habakkuk 2 v 1-7 Overview:Habakkuk’s Prayer (ch 1), Patience (ch 2) and Peace (ch 3).He saw God’s Plan, His Power and trusted in His Providence. Injustice is all around us – people losing their jobs and salaries.American businesses – broken down and bordered up.We feel the strain of economies going bad and ask why this…